Wikileaks, Bowornsak and the privy council

13072011

Continuing our brief comments on several Wikileaks cable, in this post, PPT points to this cable that involves Bowornsak Uwanno, described by Ambassador Ralph “Skip” Boyce as “a highly regarded legal scholar, [who] made headlines when he resigned [as Thaksin Shinawatra’s cabinet secretary] in June [2006], citing political conditions.” PPT once had another description of him and mentioning his record of political promiscuity.

The cable refers to a visit Bowornsak made to catch up with Ambassador Boyce and exchanged phone numbers. He explained that he resigned under pressure for an unidentified privy councillor: “2. (C) Former Cabinet Secretary Borwornsak Uwanno called on the Ambassador on September 5.… He explained he had decided to resign for various reasons, including the deterioration of his public credibility as he was increasingly seen by the elite as a defender of an unpopular administration. Additionally, he cited ethical qualms…”.

He further explained that he “… accelerated his resignation under pressure from an unspecified member of the Privy Council (he would only say the person in question was neither Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda, nor the King’s principal private secretary, Asa Sarasin, nor a public critic of Thaksin). That Privy Councilor, citing concern for Borwornsak’s reputation, urged him to quit, and to do so without delay. Borwornsak related that after he resigned, he received congratulatory messages from all Privy Councilors.”

Bowornsak was also reported to say that the “entire Privy Council was against Thaksin, he asserted, adding that Privy Councilor Surayud Chulanont had a tape recording that featured the Prime Minister talking to members of his entourage about how to ”neutralize” (politically) the King, Thaksin asserting also that he exerted significant influence over Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn. (In an aside, Borwornsak also complained that Thaksin had spoken of the Crown Prince and written letters to him in a manner that appeared disrespectful of the Crown Prince’s royal heritage.)”

[…] on the throne, in early June, Bowornsak Uwanno had resigned as Cabinet Secretary-General “under pressure from an unspecified member of the Privy Council…”. Soon after, Thaksin made it clear that he would lead Thai Rak Thai into the […]

[…] had signaled his intentions and intimidated two cabinet members (Cabinet Secretary Borwornsak Uwanno and Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam) into resigning in June. Pansak claimed that Prem had […]

[…] Uwanno, secretary-general of King Prajadipok’s Institute and mentioned in the above cable and this one too.On his resignation as Thaksin’s government spokesman, Bowornsak spent some time in an elite […]

[…] the crown prince, unlike his father, is feared and reviled, in a legally imposed silence. Yet Mr Thaksin, in the words of a cable in 2005 from the American ambassador to Thailand revealed by WikiLeaks, […]

[…] the crown prince, unlike his father, is feared and reviled, in a legally imposed silence. Yet Mr Thaksin, in the words of a cable in 2005 from the American ambassador to Thailand revealed by WikiLeaks, […]